Counterfeit Medicines Volume I Policy, Economics and Countermeasures

Edited by Albert I. Wertheimer and Perry G. Wang Hardback

Now available as an eBook from Amazon>>

Although there is some debate about the extent of counterfeits in the world’s pharmaceutical supply chain, it is undeniable that counterfeit and substandard medicines are a growing and dangerous business. They can cause major moral, reputational and financial damage to pharmaceutical manufacturers, as well as untold harm to patients who are deceived by the fake version of their medication.

This book provides a concise account of the history, policy and law, and financial and economic aspects surrounding pharmaceutical product counterfeiting, as well as some of the countermeasures available to organisations.

This valuable publication discusses the problems experienced in lesser developed countries, and reports the activities and findings of governments and agencies around the world. The safety concerns regarding illicit online pharmacies are reviewed and an overview is given of the regulatory efforts attempting to stem their negative effects. The book provides important information on creating an overall anti-counterfeit strategy and a review of current countermeasures, including authentication and tracing programmes. In addition, the book compares some of the problems experienced with those encountered by other product areas in relation to counterfeiting, including fine art, wine, diamonds, currency and aeroplane parts.

With the inclusion of economic and financial models and projections as well as real-life case studies, this book is essential reading for individuals and organisations affected by this complex issue.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 The Background and History of Counterfeit Medicines
Obinna Obi-Eyisi and Albert I. Wertheimer

Chapter 2 The Current Policy and Law of Counterfeit Medicines: In Memoriam to Donald Eulette deKieffer, 1945–2011
Donald deKieffer and J. Kevin Horgan

Chapter 3 The Financial and Economic Aspects of Counterfeit Medicines
F. Ellen Loh

Chapter 4 The Counterfeiting of Pharmaceutical Products in Lesser Developed Countries: A Case Study of Mexico
Rafael Gual Cosio

Chapter 5 The Fight Against Counterfeit and Substandard Pharmaceuticals by Governments, International Agencies and Professional Societies
Anna Gu

Chapter 6 International Politics Becomes Involved in the Fight Against Counterfeit Medicines
Kawthar ElBishlawi

Chapter 7 Addressing Illicit Online Pharmacies: Global Patient Safety and Regulatory Challenges
Bryan A. Liang and Tim Mackey

Chapter 8 Counterfeiting in Other Industries: Lessons for Pharmaceuticals
Nazli Sencan

Chapter 9 Overview of the Selection of Strategic Authentication and Tracing Programmes
John Spink

Author Biography

Professor Albert I. Wertheimer received his BS degree in Pharmacy from the University of Buffalo, New York. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his PhD from Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana. He conducted post-doctoral research at the Department of Social Medicine of St Thomas’ Hospital Medical School in London. He is currently Professor of Pharmacy Economics in the Pharmacy Practice Department of Temple University School of Pharmacy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of over 400 articles in scientific and professional journals, and an author or editor of 32 books. He has lectured and consulted in more than 60 countries.

Dr. Perry G. Wang received his BS degree in Chemistry from Shandong University, China. He earned his MS and PhD degrees in Environmental Engineering from Oregon State University, USA. He is currently a research chemist in the Office of Regulatory Science, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) in College Park, Maryland. His current research focuses on developing analytical methods for constituents in cosmetics and dietary supplements by GC/MS/MS and LC/MS/MS. He has edited or co-edited three books and published numerous peer-reviewed papers in drug analysis, cosmetics and food safety